Girls track team monitors youngsters’ improvements as injuries mount

Thursday

May 17, 2007 at 12:01 AMMay 17, 2007 at 5:16 PM

There are no aces lining the rolled-up sleeves of Ipswich-Georgetown girls track coach Mick McVann. Not this year.

Injuries and youth are the cards that the team has been dealt in the 2007 season. The team, which held a record of 3-6 entering its May 15 final regular season meet against Hamilton-Wenham, is rather without true stars this season.

Joshua Boyd/jboyd@cnc.com

There are no aces lining the rolled-up sleeves of Ipswich-Georgetown girls track coach Mick McVann. Not this year.

Injuries and youth are the cards that the team has been dealt in the 2007 season. The team, which held a record of 3-6 entering its May 15 final regular season meet against Hamilton-Wenham, is rather without true stars this season.

That’s not to say it doesn’t have strong past performers like Ashley Harper, Mel McFayden and Robin Miniter. However, all three of those girls were limited by injuries either all season or recently — McFayden was slated to miss the Hamilton-Wenham meet to give her another day of rest. McVann hopes she can be ready for Saturday’s Cape Ann League Open championship meet, but even that’s doubtful.

“Towards the end of the year, Mel has had a hamstring problem,” McVann said. “We’ll see how she is for Saturday.”

Harper injured her back during the winter season in a high jump attempt. Because of that injury, she could not take part in field events. A frequent four-event winner in the past for the co-op team, the senior captain could only run two events this season, due to both rules and her condition.

“[Harper] was our top high jumper and triple jumper last year, and she could do the 100, the 200 or the 400,” said McVann. “She was the most versatile athlete, and she’s been a Female Athlete of the Year.”

Robin Miniter has missed a lot of time, including the entire 2006 season, with leg problems. She’s only recently started competing.

“Robin is running the 4x400-meter [against Hamilton-Wenham], so she’ll make her track debut,” said McVann. She’s been keeping Miniter to mostly just field events, such as the shotput.

So, where does McVann look to for inspiration this season? The slow, but noticeable, progress that the future top performers is making.

On May 9, the team went up against Triton and lost, 76-69. While McVann was disappointed that the team fell just four points short of a win, she was delighted with the 12 personal bests recorded that day.

“The kids really performed exceptionally well,” she said. “Many of the personal bests were not for [top three] placing or getting them into CALs,” but they were inspiring for future improvement.

One personal best that was for a place, and that being a first place, was the 4x100-meter relay team’s state class meet-qualifying 53.47-second run. That relay featured Kelly Gallanar, Lia Webb, Olivia Ruta and Kayla Jernegan.

“That was very exciting,” said McVann.

Gallanar earned three more points on her own with a second place finish in the pole vault, jumping a personal best of 8-feet.

The 100-meter hurdles saw Gallanar lead a 1-2-3 sweep with a time of 17.12 seconds, along with Ruta and Molly Miller.

“She had a great meet. She placed second in the pole vault and she leads off the 4x100-meter relay,” said McVann.